Etymograph

English

harass

Harass comes from Old French harasser ‘to exhaust, tire out, wear out’.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400harasser‘to exhaust, tire out, wear out’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1622harass

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400harasser‘to exhaust, tire out, wear out’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1622harass

Earliest quotation: 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam: “But meanevvhile, to harraſſe and vvearie the Engliſh, they…”

The story

The verb is derived from Middle French, Old French harasser (‘to exhaust, tire out, wear out; to harry, torment, vex’) (modern French harasser (‘to exhaust, tire out, wear out’)), possibly from Old French harer (‘to set a dog on’), from Frankish *hara (‘here, hither’) (a command for a dog to attack), from Proto-Germanic *hē₂r (‘here, in this place’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe (‘here; this’) + *ís (‘the (person or thing just named)’) + *-r.

Every English word from Old French harasser

Today it means

verb To annoy (someone) frequently or systematically; to pester.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Old French harasser / harass

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